1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to bone treatment devices, and more particularly, to a system for compressing and stabilizing a bone fracture.
2. Description of Related Art
Difficulties may arise when repairing bone fractures; in particular fractures adjacent tendons and ligaments, as the tendons and ligaments naturally pull the fragments apart. Such fractures, often coupled with a small bone fragment size, may not provide enough bone or may be a fracture configuration not easily treated with a plate system.
Frequently, a tension band is used for repairing such fractures. Initially, the bone fragments are aligned with guide pins. A wire, typically arranged in a figure eight extends between a screw and the guide pins wherein twisting of the wire compresses the fracture and holds the fragments together.
Bone plates, including those having at least one prong or hook at an end may also be used. Typically, the prong or hook engages the bone fragment. In many cases, the surgeon desires compression between the bone fragments to promote healing. Providing compression when using a bone plate may require use of an additional apparatus or may be limited by current bone plate structure.